BMW X2 proves hip to be square

Of all the BMWs I’ve been lucky enough to try for WestWHEELS, the X2 looks the weirdest.

Now clearly this is subjective, because I’ve seen many other stories fawning over its shape and, just last year in these pages my colleague Sam Jeremic was admiring its swoopy lines.

But I think its coupe-styled SUV looks means it’s neither one thing nor the other — from some angle it resembles a squashed SUV, from others a jacked-up small car.

It doesn’t have the grace of a 4 Series, or the family chic of a 1 Series, or the Western Suburbs swagger of an X3.

And while BMW’s i3 electric car might look odd, it’s done in a cute, quirky and futuristic way, and I was quite taken by it.

The X2 just seems a bit too plain, with a back end that reminded me of a Hyundai Kona. It’s like a BMW for grandparents who want a sensible car to get from A to B but have some franking credits to burn.

Camera IconBMW X2.Picture: Supplied

But sometimes it’s just hip to be square. Because if those grandparents bought one they’d have some fun — this is a really, really good car to drive.

I was in the sDrive 20i variant, which is front-wheel-drive and powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol unit.

It’s also the second-cheapest of five options, at $55,900 plus on-roads costs — out of my price range but pretty good for a premium German marque.

And it’s got pep — a lot of it.

Hit the accelerator, wait for turbo lag and it will shift, with some nice downshifts from the seven-speed automatic and a subtle roar from the exhaust.

In fact, I couldn’t believe it when I saw the official 0-100km/h time of 7.7 seconds. If feels much nippier.

There’s also no annoying whine if you pop it into Sport mode, just extra revs.

The steering is pretty much perfect too, and something I bang on a lot about with BMWs, while the suspension makes for a magic-carpet ride.

Camera IconBMW X2.Picture: Supplied

All in all, it’s great. Just watch out for juddering brakes at low speeds, while some might be disappointed with the ride height. This is an SUV after all, and even the X1 is taller.

The interior matches the ride quality, with nice touches of brushed chrome dotted about and interesting cloth coverings on the doors.

There’s also a head-up display, push-button start, and an electric tailgate but, frustratingly, no keyless entry. The cloth covering for the panoramic sunroof could have been a bit more substantial, too.

Still, there’s a decent 6.5-inch touchscreen that has sat nav and DAB radio, and the X2 avoids the curse of other coupe-SUVs by having decent headroom in the back row.

VERDICT

The X2 might not have impressed me with its looks, but it’s what’s inside that counts. This is a fun car to drive.